This invention relates to trousers for bow hunters and more particularly to trousers with a weapon rest pocket on one or both trouser legs beneath the knee for supporting a bow while sitting in a blind or on a tree stand.
The most productive type of hunting for the whitetail deer with a bow and arrow is from a tree stand or a blind. While sitting in a blind or on a tree stand a bow hunter must keep movement and noise to a minimum. The goal of all bow hunters is to put themselves into a position to take a close-range shot at an undisturbed animal. To that end a hunter must spot the animal before it sees, hears or smells him. Once a deer is spotted, a hunter must wait for the deer to get close enough for the shot and be able to draw a bow and release an arrow undetected by the deer (The Field and Stream Bowhunting Handbook). Most wild animals have good vision that allows them to detect movement from a substantial distance.
Bow hunters generally use compound bows. The biggest advantage of using a compound bow is that it allows the hunter to hold the bow and arrow at full draw to aim and wait for the best opportunity to take a shot. Many hunters draw their bows as soon as the deer are within range and then attempt to hold their shots until the deer offer the perfect shot. The deer""s movement may mean that a hunter has to hold the bow longer than anticipated. Holding a drawn bow for even a short period of time will cut a hunter""s accuracy tremendously.
Bow hunters frequently sit in their blinds or on tree stands for periods exceeding an hour waiting for an animal to move, not only into view, but within shooting range. The literature is full of photographs showing bow hunters sitting on tree stands with their bows laying across their laps. Bow holders are commercially available which consist of hooks that screw into the tree trunk or clamp onto the stand""s platform to keep a bow within an arm""s reach while waiting for the animal to approach. Such devices are listed as accessories for successful and safe hunting from a tree stand. Placing a bow in a holder requires retrieval that takes time and requires movement. So does lifting a bow from one""s lap and rotating it from laying horizontally into a vertical position from which it may be drawn and shot. As stated above, such movement, if detected by the animal, will likely destroy the hunter""s opportunity to draw and shoot.
Most bow hunters are going to take a shot at 30 yards or less. When an animal moves into view, the hunter must be ready to move his bow into a position to shoot prior to the animal moving out of view and prior to being detected. For a bow this should mean simply bringing it to a full draw. Once the weapon is in a shooting position it must be drawn and held steady while sighting and shooting. As previously stated, the longer it is held at a full draw generally the less accurate the shot.
Trousers for bow hunters include a lower torso covering trousers portion. A left tubular trouser leg depends from the lower torso covering portion and has an inwardly facing surface, an outwardly facing surface, a knee area and a bottom edge. A right tubular trouser leg depends from the lower torso covering portion and has an inwardly facing surface, an outwardly facing surface, and a bottom edge. For a right-handed hunter, a weapon rest pocket is attached to the outwardly facing surface of the left leg between the knee and the bottom edge and has an open pocket edge that is open upwardly and rearwardly. The weapon rest pocket is on the opposite leg for a left-handed bow hunter, so that a weapon rest pocket is attached to the outwardly facing surface of the right leg between the knee and the bottom edge and has an open pocket edge that is open upwardly and rearwardly for a left-handed bow hunter. A pair of trousers for bow hunters could be equipped with a pocket on either leg or both legs depending on cost and preferences of hunters.